How Much for Those Magic Beans?

The kid and I took a walk this morning. The weather has been unseasonably moderate lately, and I’ve gotten a titch lazy over the last six months, so I figured why not get some exercise, and entertain the bored teenager at the same time. I promised him a Raspberry Mocha on the way home at the cute little independent coffee shop on the way home.

Now, I’m not at all sorry we stopped at said coffee shop on the way home. Our town is small, and spending our money locally ensures businesses thrive here. But, the receipt reminded me why a store-bought Mocha is a treat, not an everyday thing. Those two caffeine laden drinks cost over $11.00.

Eleven dollars is a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs in these parts. That’s French toast on Sunday morning for at least six people.

So I thought I’d share how you can have a fancy coffee shop mocha, at home, for a little over $1.00.

First

Brew a pot of coffee. It doesn’t have to be fancy, even dollar store coffee will work.

Second

Use any flavor extract you like, and have on hand. The most common ones at the grocery store are vanilla, and raspberry.

Third

Get yourself some chocolate syrup or hot fudge (the kind in a jar that you’d warm up and drizzle over ice cream).

Fourth

Whipped Cream. It doesn’t matter if it’s already made in a pressurized can, or if you whip it up yourself. *

Fifth

Put it all together. Pour the hot coffee into a mug. Make sure to leave room for the whipped cream. Add a drop or two of the flavor extract and some of the chocolate sauce. Give it a stir. Then, add a dollop of whipped cream on top. Voila! A Mocha made to your liking for somewhere around a quarter of the coffee shop cost.

* To make your own whipped cream you’ll need

1 pint Whipping Cream

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon White granulated sugar

Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the cream until it forms stiff peaks.